DC Police Union Taking Vote on Chief; Pegs Gun Violence to 'Poor Management'

PHOTO: Official photo of DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier

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Amidst DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier’s changes to police force duties as a response to the D.C. homicide rate (up 43 percent compared to last year, according to NBC4) in the District, a union representing the police force is taking, for the first time ever, a “no confidence” vote this weekend.

The vote — which members participate in anonymously online — is being taken on a weekend when police are being asked to be on the streets from Friday to Sunday.

“There’s no secret we’re coming up on election time for the union and we’re coming up on an “all hands on deck’ weekend,” Lanier said earlier this week on WAMU.

The union was also vocal in its opposition to the Chief’s decision to eliminate vice units within each patrol district, replacing them with centralized teams.

“The DC Police Union believes the dismantling of the district vice units is one of the main contributors to our current inability to combat rampant gun violence,” the union said in a news release.

“We have a lot of soft resources that I can move from place to place, but I don’t micromanage district commanders,” Lanier said earlier. “I give them extra resources and then I expect them through knowing and working with the officers that work in those districts and working with the community members that live in those communities to deploy strategies that they feel are most effective.”

Mayor Muriel Bowser laid out a plan dubbed “Safer, Stronger” last week to fight crime that includes getting more cops on the beat by increasing overtime pay; Lanier proposed to add more civilians to do desk work and get more police on the street.

Here’s a letter to DC police union members, posted Thursday afternoon on the union Web site:

DC Police Union Members,

Do you have confidence that Chief Cathy Lanier is able to properly manage the resources of the Metropolitan Police Department and keep the citizens safe? Please vote in our online poll at www.mrgvote.com.

Polling starts today and ends on Sunday, August 30th, at 6 PM ET. To ensure confidentiality, this vote is being conducted by a third party independent survey group. Your CAD number and the last four digits of your Social Security number are required for the integrity of the survey, but your responses cannot be retrieved or viewed by anyone once submitted.

This summer’s rise in crime is no coincidence. It’s a result of poor management of MPD by the Mayor and Police Chief. We have been losing experienced officers in droves and our remaining limited resources aren’t being used effectively.

The public is demanding MPD do something about the violence. But instead of proactive policing strategies, leadership disbanded vice units and is continuing failed strategies like AHOD.

It’s critical you take our confidential vote today by visiting www.mrgvote.com